


Wishing for the Moment

by duperstar



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Coming Out, Despres being the odd Frenchie out, Dupuis and Fleury being matchmakers, Homophobia, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Secret Relationship, of course Flower knows everything, reunited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 08:15:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3320411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duperstar/pseuds/duperstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he was told about the trade, Letang was the first person he thought about. It was going to be more complicated in Pittsburgh. He and Letang grew up together because their families had always been close. Most of their first times were experienced together: talking, walking, skating, scoring...kissing, handjobs, blowjobs. To put it lightly, the two of them have a bit of a history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Un

**Author's Note:**

> How is there no Perron and Letang on here yet?! I had to do it so hopefully it won't completely suck.
> 
> I'm going to stick to actual events for the most part, but if something happens during the season that will mess up where I want to go with this then I'll probably ignore it. Also, in this Perron and Letang don't have wives or girlfriends or kids because I don't really want to go down that route for this.
> 
> Enjoy!

Playing in Edmonton was good for David Perron on a personal level. Sure, the Oilers were no longer a team that would be chasing the Stanley Cup, but he felt safe within the walls of their locker room, which is something he never thought he'd feel. Being an openly gay athlete in the professional leagues is something that he didn't think would ever be possible for him and although he isn't out publicly (and still wouldn't want to be), he is able to be out with his team in Edmonton, which is mainly thanks to how supportive his captain, Andrew Ference, has always been towards him and gay people in general. Ference was the first person he came out too since going pro and the guy that helped him feel comfortable enough to tell the rest of his team, which went even better than he had expected.

In Edmonton, he finally felt comfortable within his own skin. It was great. Except for all the losing... They worked so hard, all of them, but it was starting to feel like it would never be enough. No matter how hard he tried, it felt like they weren't catching a break.

And then January 2nd, 2015 came along and he felt like he'd been thrown onto an emotional roller-coaster. One moment he was on a team where the best hope for the season would be drafting McDavid, then all of a sudden he was going to be a Pittsburgh Penguin, he was going to be battling for the Stanley Cup. It also meant he'd be on a team with Kris Letang again...

When he was told about the trade, Letang was the first person he thought about. Shit, it was going to be more complicated in Pittsburgh. Shit. He and Letang grew up together because their families had always been close. Most of their first times were experienced together: talking, walking, skating, scoring...kissing, handjobs, blowjobs. To put it lightly, the two of them have a bit of a history.

They haven't spoken in years, though. David honestly doesn’t even know what's going on with Letang now. At the time they'd referred to anything sexual they did together as just experimenting and jokingly added 'no homo' when they were messing around, but Perron thought of it as more than that. He'd always liked Kris in ways that he knew were more than friendly. Even when they were seven and he saw Kris holding a girl's hand in the schoolyard, he'd yelled at him for not playing with him enough. He got jealous easily back then and in all honesty he still cared a lot for the Kris he knew when they were growing up. Right now, he doesn’t even know if Letang's gay. Not that he'd still be interested anyway.

The first phone call he received after hearing the news was from Ference, which was expected since he was his captain, well, former captain now. That's going to be hard to get used to.

“Hey, good luck in Pittsburgh, Perry, we're really gonna miss you here.”

“I'll miss Edmonton just as much,” David said, feeling a little sad that he won't even get to say a proper goodbye to his team. “And thanks. For everything. Seriously you have no idea how much you've done for me here. It means a lot.”

“It's honestly not a problem. If I could do more to make things good for you in this league I absolutely would.”

“Thanks, man.” Perron smiled, appreciating how lucky he was to have someone as open-minded and understanding as Andrew Ference in his life.

“I could give Crosby a call if you think it'd help. I won't out you or anything, but I could find out what kind of environment they'd have for gay players there.”

Perron thought about it for a moment. He didn't know what to do. It took him years to come out to his teammates in Edmonton, but when he did it turned out fine. However, he doesn't want to be meeting new teammates for the first time and coming out to them without having some idea about how they'd take it. He knows not everyone would be as supportive as the Edmonton players were. On top of all that, he isn't sure that he'd want Letang to know. If Letang is straight now, then knowing that David was gay the whole time they were fucking around could make things even more awkward between them than he already expects it to be.

“Erm, I think I'll judge it on what I see and hear while I'm there. Thanks though.”

He heard Ference let out a sigh on the other end of the line.

“You shouldn't have to hide it, you know? Promise you'll tell me if you say something and they give you shit.”

“I promise, Fer. Thank you.”

Once he was finished on the phone with his former captain, he received a call from his new captain. Mr. Golden Goal himself; Sidney Crosby. Holy fuck, he's going to be playing with Sidney Crosby.

“Hi, this is Sidney Crosby. Welcome to the team.”

“Thanks man, I can't wait.”

It was mainly small talk on the phone with Crosby, but he felt calmer about the actual playing side of things after the chat. His first game with them was going to be against Montreal in Pittsburgh. If it had been in Quebec the irony of him and Letang playing together again there would have made him nostalgic, but having his first home game was going to be good as well, hopefully.

He called his parents to tell them the news, they were sad that he wouldn't be in Canada anymore, but delighted that he was going to be with a team like Pittsburgh and reunited with Kris. His parents didn't know about the things he and Kris would do when they went out, which is lucky because if they tried talking to him about it, despite being a grown ass man right now, he would not be able to handle the embarrassment.

When he got to the airport he flicked through the many messages that had been sent to him from friends, family, ex teammates and some new teammates.

He had one from Pascal Dupuis saying ' _Another Frenchie for the wing, about damn time! Join us!!!_ ', which made him laugh and another one from Marc-Andre Fleury in French telling him to not believe a word Dupuis tells him because he's not to be trusted. David was slightly worried by that, but at the same time he was looking forward to understanding what it was all about. From what he's heard about Dupuis he seems like a good guy, so he hopefully has nothing to worry about.

The one that caught him off-guard completely was from Kris. He stared at it for a long while before it was announced that he had to board the plane. ' _Long time no see Perry! I'll take you out so we can catch up again. Missed you bud._ ' David couldn't help the smile that came on his face when reading that. Maybe seeing him again won't be so bad after all.

 

 

The adrenalin rush that David felt whilst being shown around Consol Energy Centre was something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was amazing. He did his best to remember the names of all the staff as he went around and introduced himself and was relieved to find out that he would have his own locker despite coming into the team late into the season. Looking around, he felt like he could really feel at home here. 

He bumped into a few of the players as he was walked around the facilities. A huge smile crossed his face as soon as he spotted Pascal Dupuis. He knew already that the two of them would get along. He knew about Dupuis' blood clots and he felt really good seeing how healthy the man looked and knowing that he still had that smile on his face. It was inspirational.

“Pascal,” Dupuis said, holing out his hand to shake.

“David.” He smirked as memories of the texts he received came back. “Flower's tried warning me about you by the way.”

“You'll learn not to listen to Flower,” Dupuis said loudly as Flower approached and then attempted to put the older man into a loose headlock.

“He's lying! He's sneaky,” the goalie shouted, getting the attention of anyone close by.

Perron couldn't help smiling at the madness around him. He's missed being around other French Canadians a lot more than he thought he had. It was all playful but it settled some of the nerves Perron had about walking into a new locker room. He knows it can be hard for the new guy to become a real part of the room, but in an atmosphere like this he felt like it would be hard for him to not feel comfortable and involved early on.

He was walking around the gym, with Dupuis deciding to take over as his tour guide, when he first laid eyes on Letang. It was so weird being so near to him again. Perron actually lost his footing when he saw him. They've played against each other before, so it's not like it's the first time they've seen each other since it all went down, but this was different. And, fuck Letang looked good. Perron used to struggle to hide his sexuality in the locker rooms when they were growing up, but he'd always managed. He was completely fine in Edmonton because he loved his teammates like brothers and nothing more. But here, with Letang being right there and looking like that, he knew he was in for a struggle.

“Perry!” Letang shouted from across the room when he saw him. Perron's face lit up as Kris jumped off the bike and headed towards them.

“I believe you've already met,” Dupuis said, wiggling his eyebrows and looking suggestively between the two of them. Perron blushed but didn't comment and Kris just seemed oblivious.

“How've you been?” Letang asked, pulling him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around Letang's waist, not even caring that he was in a smart suit and the other man was drenched in sweat. He held on for longer than necessary for old times sake, but Kris wasn't pulling away either so it must've been okay.

“Why don't I get hugged like that?” Dupuis pouted teasingly.

Letang then broke away from Perron and jumped into Dupuis for a hug.

“Was someone jealous?” Kris smiled.

“Very.” Dupuis laughed before deciding Letang could finish the tour off for Perron and leaving the two of them on their own.

They looked each other up and down for a few moments, taking in the physical changes between them. Things had definitely changed a lot since their teenage years and David was thankful that Kris didn't seem like he was going to bring up how they'd departed. Maybe Kris didn't think it was a big deal. He guesses it probably wasn't as crushing from Kris' perspective, but he also knew he had to put it behind them if they were going to work together here in Pittsburgh.

“Fuck you look good,” Letang eventually said in French with a laugh which did nothing good for Perron trying to play it cool. “How's things been?”

David missed just talking in French, so he was embracing the chance to do it here with the amount of French players they have.

“It's...It's been kinda great actually. Things have just kept getting better for me,” he said, meaning every word of it. He's grown more comfortable and confident in himself over the years and he really hopes Letang can see that difference in him now.

“Good, that's great.” Letang gestured ahead and continued to show him around and occasionally introduce people as they walk, slipping in and out of French and English depending on which other people were around them. “What about your parents? I've not heard about them in ages.”

“Dad still calls up after every game and calls me out on every bad play I've made,” David told him with a small laugh. “He's kept me updated on your fuck ups too.”

Tanger laughed loudly.

“I miss your dad...No matter how good we played he always found something.”

They smiled at each other again at it almost felt like old times, except for the more expensive and complex equipment surrounding them and the fact that they were older now. He was expecting there to be awkwardness between them, but Kris was making sure they could jump back into where they were with the friendship stage, which was probably for this best. This could work out really well here.

“It's really good seeing you again,” David said quietly.

“I know,” Kris said, looking him in the eye. “I think we'll be good together.” Perron gave a nod in response before he continued. “I could take you shopping tomorrow, I doubt you were able to pack much. And we can hang out with the other French guys after. If you're up for it that is?” Letang glanced at him expectantly and Perron could never say no to anything Letang has asked of him.

“Sounds great, man.”

The rest of the morning was spent adjusting to his surroundings and he was grateful to the players that came over to check that he understood what was going on around him. There wasn't a morning skate before the game, so it wasn't til later in the afternoon when they started doing the final preparations for the game where he was formally introduced to a lot of his new teammates. They seemed great in his opinion, so it was exciting to think about where this season could go for him, on both the personal and professional levels.

“Tanger's not shut up about how filthy your hands are,” Suttsy told them as they shook hands in the locker room. “Can't wait to see that up close.”

“Ha, cheers man! Nice meeting you.”

“No problem. I think you're with Sid tonight. Good way to spend your first night out of Edmonton, eh?”

Perron laughed and tried not to take offence or act too nervous about the prospect of playing with Canada's captain.

“Hey, Edmonton was good for me,” he insisted. “But yeah. Playing with Crosby would be surreal.”

“Playing with me is pretty cool too,” Sutter told him with a smirk. “Even ask this one, HEY BEAU!” Sutter shouted across the room. “COME SHOW SOME MANNERS!” Suttsy shook his head as Beau jumped down from Bortuzzo's back to end the play fight that was going on in the other side of the room. “Californians, eh?” Sutter smirked again.

“Hey, I'm Beau Bennett.” He held out a hand to shake and Perron smiled at the younger man.

“Tell Pez how great I am to play with,” Sutter said with a stern look.

“Oh Suttsy is the best out there. If you don't think so now he'll tell you over and over until you do.”

Perron laughed and luckily Sutter did as well.

“Shh. Go back to playing with your boyfriend, Sunshine.”

Beau glared at him but went back to sit near Bortuzzo anyway.

“Boyfriend, eh?” David asked, suddenly a lot more interested in the young Californian. Being out in this locker room could be easier than he thought.

“Not really. Well, they're like a married couple, with less of the sex. So a married couple. Shit, don’t tell my wife I said that.” He laughed and Perron did too.

Kunitz was sat a few seats away from him and decided to come over and make his presence known then. It was good to talk to someone that had played with Crosby for years. It definitely made him feel calmer about the game tonight.

“You'll build chemistry over time, but for now just play your game and always have your stick down ready for the pass,” Chris told him with a small smile. “Seriously, even if you don't think the pass is possible, Sid will find a way to get it to you. He's really not as hard to play with as people say.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

Crosby and Kunitz ran through some plays with him with the assistance of Mike Johnston as the rest of the guys started to get themselves pumped up and changed into their gear. It was all starting to feel real. He was a Pittsburgh Penguin now.

 

 

He didn't feel great when he went out for warm ups. He knew it was just the nerves, but pucks kept bouncing on him, his first touch was poor and he even tripped on his own feet a few times. He could tell Kris was giving him worried looks, but he also knew that a bit of nerves before your first game was normal, right? As long as he lets all the fuck ups happen in warm ups and not during the game then hopefully all will be fine.

“You good?” Letang asked as he skated up beside him.

“Nervous,” he admitted quietly. “This is crazy.”

Letang then put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze.

“Relax, eh? Last time I saw you looking this nervous I had my hand on your dick.” Letang was smirking at him but all Perron could do was stare with a shocked look on his face and most likely a lot of pink in his cheeks. “Seriously, just relax a bit.”

“Saying that to me is really gonna calm me down Kris, wow, well done. Why aren't you captain with wise words like that?”

Kris started laughing and punched Perron on the shoulder as he removed the arm from around him.

“You've always seemed calmer when you're talking shit at me,” Kris told him. “Thought I'd give you reason to.”

With that Kris went skated back into the rest of the group to continue with the warm up drills, and David stayed at the side for a while longer, wishing that the other Frenchmen hadn't mentioned their past. It was easier to ignore it when he could fool himself into thinking that Letang had forgotten about it all. But that obviously wasn't the case.

He ended the warm ups with him and Crosby passing to each other and taking some shots on the net. It felt good. Controlling passes from Crosby wasn't second nature to him, but he knew it was something he'd be happy to get used to. He also knew that playing alongside Crosby would keep him focused on the game ahead of him. There wasn't time to think about much else when his captain was constantly in his ear, ensuring that Perron knew exactly what they'd try to do the next shift.

 

 

The game wasn't great. It was far from the result they wanted. They fell 4-1 to the Habs at home, but David did manage to get the only Penguins' goal. It's always a good feeling to get your first and its a lot better to get it early on. The pressure can get too high if it takes too long to make your mark. The pass from Crosby was perfect and Perron was just glad that he was able to get the release off early and the puck actually went in. It still sucks though that he couldn't mark his debut with his first win as well.

There's a lot of family guys on the team, plus they just lost, so no one was really in the mood for going out. David wasn't particularly excited to be going back to his hotel room, but until he had time to sort out something better, it would have to be enough for him. They have three days off before the game against Boston, so he could use that time to find something.

“Do you have any plans for the next few days?” Sid asked them as they got undressed.

He looked over and gave a small smile, careful to not look below head level, even though he knew he wasn't attracted to his captain anyway.

“Tanger wants to take me shopping,” he said with a small smile.

Crosby gave a laugh. He had an adorable laugh, Perron would admit to that.

“That man has expensive taste so I'd be careful shopping with him.”

“I think it's the French thing,” David told him. Letang does look good though, so at least the money that he spends on it pays off.

“If you're free for dinner anytime let me know. It'd be good to get to know each other better. It felt good out there tonight so we should build on that.”

“I'd love to.” Perron smiled, feeling like he was being made welcome here already. They don't have an extended road trip until early February, so he knew he was going to have to make as much time for his teammates now as he could to get to know them, which wouldn't be difficult since he didn't know of a lot to do here anyway.

As Perron glanced around the room he realised that Letang was watching him. He didn't know what to make of that, but as soon as Letang realised he'd been caught he looked away. Another thing he noticed was the look that Flower was giving him, it was almost expectant, like he was waiting for something to happen. David doubted that the goalie would be in the mood for pranking him right after a loss, but there was definitely something in that look. He only found out what it meant when they ended up in the showers at the same time. Perron always waited until the end. Back in Edmonton, since everyone knew he was gay, he made the decision to not go in at the same time as most of the others. No one really commented on it. He's not sure if they'd even care if he did shower with them. But after one bad experience growing up he'd chosen not do risk it again.

Flower waited until Perron went in before he went to the showers, though. So he knew there was something going on there.

“You always try to shower last?” he asked Fleury as they went in together.

“Would ask you the same,” Flower said with a teasing grin. “The guys wouldn't mind, you know.”

Perron continued washing himself under the stream of water, trying to think over what Flower could have meant by that. He first thought he was being paranoid because there was no way Flower could tell he was gay already, but he couldn't think of anything else a comment like that could mean.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” he responded after a while, for some reason deciding that playing dumb was the best way to go with this.

“You wouldn't be the first person I've played with like that. It's fine.”

Perron glanced over at Flower and saw the intent look on his face. He really meant what he was saying. Shit. David should be grateful for the support but at the same time he doesn't know what to think right now.

“Is it that obvious?”

Flower gave a small laugh. 

“When you know what I know, it is.”

Perron raised an eyebrow because what the fuck was that meant to mean?

“What?”

“Nothing.” Flower smirked. “Don't worry about it.”

Fleury turned his shower off and wrapped a towel around himself before starting to walk out.

“I'm. Listen, don't tell everyone. I'm not ready for it all yet.” Perron felt awkward having this conversation with a goalie who was in just a towel whilst he was there naked and in the shower, but it had to be said. “Please.”

“I wouldn't do that.” Fleury smiled. “See? Duper's wrong about me. I'm trustworthy.”

For some reason, hearing that did not make Perron feel better, but he knew Flower wouldn't purposely out him because as much as he likes pranking and getting a rise out of people, he really is a good guy.

Letang was waiting for him when he got out of the shower and he had no clue where Flower had gotten to because he definitely couldn't have gotten changed and disappeared that fast. Then again, he was a goalie and who really knows what those guys get up to.

“You always take forever,” Letang complained to him. “Such a girl at times.”

Perron gritted his teeth, ignoring the last comment.

“You can talk,” he muttered, feeling a little defensive. “You didn't have to wait for me.”

Letang gave him a weird look.

“I doubt you know your way out of here yet. Plus you should come to mine tonight.

Perron stared at the floor as he started drying himself off. He knew Letang was watching him and it made him slightly uncomfortable but not enough to actually comment on it.

“And why should I do that?”

“You've got nothing better to do,” Letang said quietly. “Plus we should catch up, right? Properly.”

As David started pulling his clothes on he started thinking about how weird all of this is. The last time he went somewhere with Tanger it was for circumstances much different to this, but as always, he couldn't say no to him.

“Fine.” He sighed. “Did Flower say something to you?”

Letang laughed.

“Flower says more than the average human being, so probably, yeah.” When Letang saw the worried expression on his teammate's face his tone softened. “Nothing bad, or about you.”

That made him feel somewhat better and despite how he was nervous to be alone with Kris again, he was also kind of excited as well.

 

 


	2. Deux

The awkwardness that had been lacking somewhat between him and Letang when they were surrounded by their teammates returned momentously once they were alone in Kris' house. David wasn't sure if he liked the way the place was furnished, it was definitely minimalist and far from the comfortable homely feel he'd gotten used to in his small apartment back in Edmonton. It made him feel even more on edge about being here.

He knew he should look at this as just two teammates hanging out together, or even think back to them being best friends so they can try to ease themselves back into that easy comradery, but it wasn't like that for them and David knew it. It'd been years, but he wasn't fully over it yet and Kris didn't look like he was going to start talking about it either.

They were sat in the living room on the sofa. He'd love to say it was an easy silence but it was far from it. It was tense.

“Want a drink?” Kris asked him, breaking the quietness to act like a good host, or whatever it was he was attempting to be here. “Alcohol could make this easier.”

David raised an eyebrow, but he knew that if they ever were going to talk this out it wouldn't be when they're both sober. He'd find that way too painful and embarrassing.

“Sounds good.”

He stayed sat there while Letang went to get the bottles. Perron rested his arms over his legs and lent down, doing his best to keep his breathing even. Could he really tell Kris that he'd broke his heart back then? How would Kris even react to that? Hopefully he wouldn't laugh, but since they've got to play together now it's even more crucial that David doesn't mess this up. It wouldn't just hurt him if this ended badly, it would probably end up hurting the team too.

Shit.

He needed to talk to someone.

“Where's your toilet?” David shouted towards where Letang had left.

“Upstairs, first on the right!” He heard come back.

Perron fished his phone out of his pocket and headed up there, needing to be out of Letang's ear shot while he made this call. He knew the Oliers didn't have a game that night, so he hoped Ference would be free to take his call. It was only 9pm in Edmonton so he should be there to answer.

Shit. He didn't even know what he was doing. Fer wasn't going to be able to save him here.

He dialled the number as soon as he'd shut the bathroom door and waiting for the other man to answer. Andrew wouldn't have expected him to be calling up for help this soon into his time in Pittsburgh, but he'd always gone to Andrew for advice and the guy was basically his wingman when they went out in Edmonton so he knew that if anyone could help, it would be him.

“What is this Perry? Missing me already?” Andrew asked in a smooth tone that made David feel safe again instantly.

“You know that guy I used to tell you about?” Perron started, not wanting to beat around the bush here. Plus he knew he couldn't hide in the bathroom for too long without making Tanger think he had diarrhoea or something. “From when I was a kid?”

“If you mean your drunk ramblings about the boy that stole your heart, then yes Per, I know. What's the problem now?”

David could picture the eye roll that Fer was giving him because as much as Andrew supported him, he struggled to understand why Perron wouldn't let go of something that was over years ago. To be honest, Perron himself didn't understand it completely either.

“Hypothetically, if I saw him again and he wanted to talk, what would you recommend me telling him?” David knew he sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't handle this on his own right now. “Like, I'm gonna have to see him a lot now... So I don’t wanna freak him out. And, fuck, I don’t know what I'm doing here Fer.”

He waited a while so Andrew could attempt to make sense of what he was saying, but it didn't take too long as the guy was used to dealing with him and his problems by now.

“So, you're _hypothetically_  with this guy right now and you're talking to me instead of him. Am I close?”

“Hypothetically, yes.”

He heard Andrew's intake of breath and waited patiently for him to fix everything for him. His former captain was always good at doing that. Granted, the situation here is a lot different to the usual problems he'd go to him with, but still.

“No offence, but the guy seemed like a bit of a dick. Are you still interested in him like that?”

He didn't know. Well, he did know, but he wasn't overly keen on what that meant.

“Shit,” Perron hissed at the sound of a knock on the door.

“Are you alright in there?” he heard Tanger asking.

He really wasn't ready to hang up yet, but he didn't have much of a choice anymore.

“I've gotta go,” he said quickly before hanging up on Ference without getting the information that he felt he desperately needed. He really needs to stop relying on others to solve his problems for him, because this would be a hell of a lot easier if he could do it himself.

He flushed the toilet, just for effect, and then opened the door to a concerned looking teammate.

“Alright?”

Perron nodded. “Look, I'm just gonna say this, I don't know what to say about...about what happened, but I think we need to say something about it.”

“It was fun,” Letang said with a shrug. David's face darkened and he started glaring at the wall behind Tanger's head. “We really don't need to make a big deal out of it, okay? It happened. It's in the past. You're such a worrier.” With that he ruffled Perron's hair, which Per only got pissed over because he knew if he'd done that to him there would be hell to pay. “We good?”

No.

“Why did you ignore all my calls?” Perron asked him, staring down at the floor and hating how pathetic he was sounding right now.

Letang lent back against the wall opposite him and gently kicked at Perron's feet to make him look up.

“You kinda freaked me out back then, Per,” Kris admitted quietly.

“You fucking started it,” David muttered, but this time managed to remain looking at the other man. “And you freaked me out by not fucking talking to me again after.”

Letang nodded slowly and gave him a weak smile.

“Remember Karla?” Kris asked him gently. “I didn't tell you, but me and her were together when we were, ya know.”

David bit his lip and dropped his gaze. He knows that back then him and Kris had just been messing around, he knew that they weren't in an actual relationship, but surely the fact that Kris had never told him about this girlfriend must've meant something. He clearly didn't want David to know that he wasn't the only person he was spending time with in that way.

“So you stopped talking to me because you had a girlfriend? Is that seriously what you're saying? We were best friends, Kris. Or did you have another best friend that you didn't want me to know about?” Perron laughed bitterly.

“Per,” Kris started, leaning in and putting a hand against Perron's arm. “It was years ago. I was a stupid kid, okay? We can be good for each other now. Friends.”

David hated how sincerely Kris was looking at him. He wanted to be mad at him for dropping him for some girl. Some girl that clearly isn't even in his life anymore. But instead he just felt sad.

“You completely shut me out, Kris. I don’t get it. I'm sorry,” he whispered, blinking back a few tears. He hated how he was overreacting, but even after all this time he hadn't come to terms with that night.

“No, come here,” Kris whispered, wrapping his arms around Perron and pulling him in for a hug. “It wasn't you. I took things too far with us and... Look, it freaked me out. I'm sorry. I had to get away and be with Karla for a bit and I knew that... I knew that I couldn't look at you again after seeing you like, like [b]that[/b] underneath me. You were so...fuck. Per, I.”

“Was it that bad?” Perron spoke into Kris' shoulder. “Fucking me was bad enough to make you...”

“David, seriously. It wasn't that. You didn't do anything wrong. I shouldn't have done it to you. We were friends, not fuck buddies or whatever. I loved Karla. It was stupid, a stupid mistake and I'm really sorry I let it ruin our friendship.”

“What happened with Karla? Did you drop her after fucking her too?”

“David seriously, what the fuck?” Kris hissed, pushing Perron back so he could look him in the eye. “I cared about you a lot more than I cared about her. That's why I had to leave. I couldn't. Fuck you, okay. It wasn't just me that made this weird.” Perron couldn't say anything. He knew it was on him too. He knew that they were risking their friendship when things became sexual, but at the time he thought it would be worth it. He thought it meant Tanger liked him back. “We need to go back to being friends here, Per. I can put it behind us if you can. I've missed you, honestly.”

“I want,” Perron whispered but then turned away. He wanted to give in and he knew he needed to for the sake of the team as well as himself, but it was hard to completely forgive someone who left him like that. “I want that. But, Kris, it's harder for me. I didn't have a Karla to run off to. I didn't get to pretend we didn't happen. I still...”

“I'm really sorry, Per.”

“Should be,” David muttered but he gave the other man a small smile anyway.

“I swear, it wasn't about hurting you. It was me being selfish and I'm sorry,” Kris told him, looking him right in the eyes.

Perron gave an awkward laugh and shook his head. He didn't really know what to think. After all this time thinking that Kris hated him for the sex, he's now being told that it wasn't about anything he did at all. Not really. David wasn't sure what to think of it all yet, but he knew he didn't want there to be any tension between him and Kris. He wanted them to be friends again.

“I think I could use that drink now, by the way.”

Letang let out a slight laugh.

“Come on then,” he said, placing his hand on the small of David's back and guiding him back down the stairs and into the living room.

David couldn't help thinking back on all the other times Letang had guided him around with his hand on him. It happened at school a lot. With Letang being in the year above him, he was always taking him to classes like that to stop him getting lost or being late. He always had his back. When other guys on the team had given him a hard time, Letang had scared them into shutting up about it. Although Perron was younger, he'd always stuck up for Kris as well, whether he needed the backup or not. It's just how they'd always been with each other.

“I want everything to be normal with us,” David told him as they sat back at the sofa with their beers.

“We can make this work again. I promise.”

It was getting close to one in the morning when things really started to feel normal again. They'd been sat watching old TV shows on Netflix, joking along and mocking every cliché that was mentioned and it felt really good. They had an off day tomorrow, so Perron was in no rush to go back to his hotel and Letang didn't seem to be desperate to get rid of him just yet.

“I've got a guest room if you want to stay over,” Letang suggested in response to Perron yawning.

“I shouldn't,” David said quietly. Despite everything that has been said today, he isn't sure he could stay the night here. Their sleepovers had been where it all started and he isn't sure he could handle being here with him at night without thinking about that.

“If we're doing normal between us, then stopping over isn't a big deal. Plus I'm taking you shopping tomorrow, remember?”

“Technically it's later today, not tomorrow.”

“Which is even more reason to stay. It's late and you've been drinking. Come on.” Letang put on his best pout and knew he was going to get his way without saying anything else.

“Fine, I'll stay.”

“Good.” Kris smiled, poking David in his side. “You're welcome here whenever you're bored of that hotel room.”

“Thanks.”

Letang then took the chance to take Perron up to the guest room and show him around. It wasn't particularly big, but he preferred this room to the other ones he'd seen so far in Kris' house. The room felt warmer, not in terms of the temperature, but just the way it looked. It made him feel welcome and comfortable. It looked even familiar to him.

“Is that the wardrobe from my old house?” he thought aloud, making Kris laugh.

“It's not the same exactly, but it's close,” Kris told him. “I liked it.”

David didn't know why that made him so happy, but it really did. Kris must've thought of him when he bought it. He refused to believe that it was merely a coincidence.

“I guess I'll see you in the morning then,” Perron said awkwardly, standing next to the bed.

“Yeah.” Letang smiled but didn't leave. “Listen, I'm really happy you're in Pittsburgh and you should seriously feel free to tell me if I'm pissing you off. I don't want to fuck us up again.”

“I don’t want you to either.” David smirked.

Kris walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. Perron let out a breath that he hadn't noticed he was holding as his arms found their way around Kris' waist again. He felt firmer than he remembered and he liked it.

“Missed this,” Kris whispered into David's hair.

So did David. He really missed being with Kris.

“Yeah.” He smiled. “Me too.”

 

 

_"He shoots and scores! David Perron!” the commentator roared as he snapped the puck into the back of the net._

_David felt Letang on him the second the puck went in, pushing him against the boards in celebration. He couldn't see the other man because he was pressing him up against the glass, but he knew it was Kris; only Kris. It was suddenly like they were the only two people in the entire arena. And then they were. He could no longer hear the crowd cheering, the man punching the glass in front of him wasn't there anymore and then the lights went out. They were alone._

_“That was so fucking hot,” Letang said in a breathy voice into his ear, slowly lifting up his helmet and then chucking it it onto the floor. David didn't notice when Letang's own helmet disappeared, but it wasn't on his head any longer._

_And then Kris' tongue was on him, licking up his neck and to his jaw and forcing a shiver out of David. Fuck. He felt himself leaning back into Letang's touch and the other man gladly took his weight whilst sucking softly into the younger man's skin. David rocked back against Kris' hips, even though he knew it wouldn't do anything because of all the layers of equipment and padding they had on. He needed it off; all of it._

_“Kris,” he moaned, attempting to reach around and get some of the other man's clothes off, but instead Kris' lips had found his and he pulled him around to face him, his tongue penetrating into his mouth roughly and David felt the blood rushing between his legs. It was too much. He'd missed Kris' tongue so much and it had gotten even better now. Their lips crashing together again made him feel like he was coming home to something. Tanger placed once of his legs roughly between Perron's and he let out a moan of want, wishing he could feel it, really feel it. His arms were around Kris' waist, but then he reached under the jersey and unfastened the fight strap, wanting it off. He cold feel the pout Letang was giving him, lips against lips, when Perron tried to tug the shirt up and over him._

_“Please,” David begged against Kris. “Kris. Fuck.”_

_With that Letang stepped back and pulled his jersey over. For some reason once the jersey was gone, all the layers of equipment had gone too, leaving it easy for Perron to latch his lips onto one of his nipples._

_“Fuck Pez,” Kris croaked out, making David smirk against his skin. “Fuck.”_

_David could feel Kris struggling against him and he loved it. One thing he'd never forget was how much Kris liked him playing with his nipples. It always worked when they were younger and it still did now._

_He licked across his chest and onto the other one and then bit down hard._

_“Motherfucker,” Kris hissed, grabbing hold of David's face and pulling it back up to meet him for a kiss._

_David was too distracted by the sensation of Letang against him to notice when Letang's hand had dropped underneath all the material that was hiding his dick away._

_“Fuck yes,” David panted as he felt the other man's hand wrap around him. “Fuuuck.” He dropped his head against Letang's shoulder and placed small kisses there as Kris worked him below. Letang and the glass were basically the only things keeping him upright now, his skates kept slipping under him but the press of Kris against him was enough to keep him steady._

_It felt rushed, too rushed and suddenly Perron realised he was coming and coming hard. He gasped and gripped onto Letang's waist, needing him there, needing him with him._

_And then lights started flashing. He stared at Kris and suddenly they were both naked. He couldn't remember that happening. That's when he noticed that they weren't alone anymore. He saw his teammates, looking at them with disgust. He saw the flash of cameras, and then their bare flesh was on the jumbotron as they grinded against each other. This wasn't how it was meant to happen._

_“Kris stop,” David begged._

_“Shh, relax, Pez,” he hissed as he got himself off against Perron's leg._

“Fuck!” Perron heard himself gasp as his eyes opened. The room was dark again. He was at his old home? No. Letang bought the same furniture. He was at Kris' house. Of course he'd have a fucked up dream like that in Kris' house. He knew it would happen. He knew it.

He took a cold shower in the ensuite bathroom before checking it was a suitable time to wake up and heading downstairs to steal food from Kris' kitchen. He only had the suit he wore yesterday and he slept in his boxers, which managed to get slightly ruined during his sleep, so he ended up going down in just his towel. He'd borrow something from Kris later.

“Oh, hey,” Perron said, jumping back a little bit since he wasn't expecting to see anyone other than Kris in the kitchen. Plus he assumed Kris would still be in bed.

“You stayed the night?” Simon Despres asked him. He was sat on one of the surfaces, eating an apple like him being in here was completely normal.

“Yeah,” he replied awkwardly. “In the guest room.”

Simon smirked at him.

“Tanger never lets me stop over,” he told him.

David didn't know what to make of that piece of information so he just wrapped his arms around himself and stood there looking rather awkward.

“So, do you come here often?” Perron asked, struggling to know what to say to the young defenceman since they hadn't had much chance to get to know each other yet.

“Tanger said we're going shopping.”

“Oh,” was all David could say.

He shouldn't be disappointed. He knew he needed to get to know his other teammates too, but part of him was a bit gutted that he couldn't just spend the day with Kris on his own.

“Duper said it wouldn't be a problem,” he added, jumping down from the counter. “Kris will come down soon. He doesn't like me sitting up there, though. Something about it being unhygienic.”

“Dupuis said you could come?” Perron asked, just making sure he had this clear.

“Oh yeah,” Despres answered as he started scavenging through Kris' fridge. “I told him I needed some stuff and he said you two were shopping anyway, so here I am. Did you eat the chicken?” he asked, shutting the fridge door. “I'm sure there was chicken in here.”

Perron didn't bother asking why he'd want to have an apple and chicken for breakfast, but if this was what usually happened when Despres and Letang were together then he had to assume it was some weird defender thing. Then again, he'd never seen Ference eat that for breakfast, so maybe it was more of a Pittsburgh thing.

“I've not had any chicken, not sure about Kris though.”

Despres suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Why are you naked?”

Perron looked down at himself. The towel was definitely still there, but underneath the towel he was naked, so he understood where Despres was coming from here. It was odd that he'd only just noticed though.

“I don't have clothes with me. I'll borrow from Kris.”

“Are you always naked?” Despres asked him with a contemplative look on his face. “Other than during the game, I don't think I've seen you fully clothed.”

It was that moment that Kris decided to come down. He was also just in his towel, which meant David had to stare at Simon as much as he could get away with to avoid embarrassing himself. He was only in a towel himself, he couldn't really risk gazing at Kris right now without very obviously giving himself away.

“Why is everyone naked? Should I be naked too?” Despres asked him. When David glanced over, making sure he only looked at him head height, Letang had looked so confused that David couldn't help laughing at him.

“Why are you even in my kitchen? And no. Keep your clothes on,” Kris said with a shake of his head, looking almost pained. “ And what are you laughing at?” he then asked, turning his attention onto David.

“Sorry.” Perron smirked. “And I think he was looking for chicken.”

Letang rolled his eyes walked over to Despres to flick his ear.

“We're going shopping,” Despres told him with a smile. “Duper said-”

Kris cut him off at the mention of the winger, understanding completely why Dupuis had sent his minion over to interfere. It was a typical thing for Dupuis to do and another reminder that Kris shouldn't ever talk about his private life with that man.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't get up to where I wanted to with this chapter, mainly because I winged through the start of it and ran out of steam before writing the next bit, but I don't think it's too bad of a stopping point there... Hopefully.
> 
> Thanks so much for the feedback so far! I feel like I've not wrote anything in ages so in typical me fashion I started this the night before uni started up again. Oops. I'll make time for this though :)


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